The Full Report

Conclusion

The fundamental challenge of the 21st century is that the human footprint of resource consumption and waste now exceeds the capacity of ecosystems to support the growing world population at a reasonable standard of living for all. This situation is unsustainable and ultimately, dangerous. The longer humankind waits before implementing the needed policies, the higher the environmental, social and economic costs that will have to be paid. The time for action is now.

Canada's high standard of living has in many ways been built on unsustainable practices. As a country that has prospered from environmental exploitation, we have a corresponding moral and economic responsibility to shoulder a relatively heavy share of actions leading to solutions.

Canada, more than many countries, is well-positioned to make the transition to a more sustainable economy. We have the resources and ingenuity to help citizens and businesses through this transition, and we have citizens and leaders with the foresight to see how much this country could lose if we continue with business as usual. In fact, it is not really a question of whether we will undertake this transition, but when -- and whether it will be done with planning and foresight or in panicked response to a growing environmental catastrophe like unchecked climate change.

Acknowledgements

This document was prepared by Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, David Suzuki Foundation, Ecojustice, Environmental Defence, Equiterre, Greenpeace Canada, Nature Canada, Pembina Institute, Pollution Probe, Sierra Club Canada and World Wildlife Fund. We wish to thank the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation for its generous support of this initiative. We also wish to thank our writers, Brad Cundiff, Stephen Hazell, Francois Bregha and Alanna Mitchell, and our design team: Lisa Rebnord (print) and Richard Munter (web).

» For further information